UN: The next frontier in food crawls

And there’s an increasing demand for protein among the middle classes.

What does it all mean? According to a new report from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, it means this:

Alternative solutions to conventional livestock and feed sources urgently need to be found. The consumption of insects, or entomophagy, therefore contributes positively to the environment and to health and livelihoods

In other words, in the future more of our protein will have to come from bugs.

Bug sushi is delicious. (ento)

But bugs are gross? You’d better rethink that perception, partner. By way of example, in Chapter 13, the report states:

Common prejudice against eating insects is not justified from a nutritional point of view. Insects are not inferior to other protein sources such as fish, chicken and beef.

Feelings of disgust in the West towards entomophagy contributes to the common misconception that entomophagy in the developing world is prompted by starvation and is merely a survival mechanism. This is far from the truth. Although it will require considerable convincing to reverse this mentality, it is not an impossible feat.

Arthropods like lobsters and shrimps, once considered poor-man’s food in the West, are now expensive delicacies there. It is hoped that arguments such as the high nutritional value of insects and their low environmental impact, low-risk nature (from a disease standpoint) and palatability may also contribute to a shift in perception.

It’s not just the United Nations. Companies like ento are working to bring more insect products onto the shelves of western supermarkets.

While I believe we have a succession of groups to go through;
like fish, crayfish, and shrimp, before we get to bugs,
I want to thank Sciguy for this note. It is a real swing
at practical science.

Humans can eat bugs. We can grow bugs, and we can survive.
Like eating chicken, it may take money, knowledge and
time to be able to do it well.

I have wondered if eating termites and their gut bacteria
that digests cellulose would give us broader digestive
advantages. The second problem would be the insect’s chitin,
once thought to be indigestible by humans.

Re: Feelings of disgust in the West

This is only a group think thing. In Mexico a bug similar to
the squash bug is sold in the open markets.

In some tropical countries the very large grubs associated
with downed banana trees are considered quite palatable.

And while we’re talking maximizing our nutritional efficiency, what about if we kill an animal, we eat the whole thing? Some of the most nutrient parts of, say, a cow are the organs: liver, brains, etc. Yes, sounds gross, but what a waste to throw away so much good food.

Brains are no good because of the risk of BSE. They taste good, and the risk is negligible for animals under 30 months old, but still present.

The liver, kidneys, heart, and thyroid (sweetbreads) all taste good and are eaten frequently. The beef tongue has gotten popular over the last ten years, and I’m no longer able to get them for around $1/lb ($2.20/kg, for the metric folks). It’s been years since I’ve made pot of tongue, since I’d rather buy a steak for $2.99/lb.

Lungs I’m undecided on. They taste good, but are also one of the areas to avoid if there is the slightest doubt about the source. Menudo relies on the tripe, or stomach lining.

Essentially, the big meat processers try to get the maximum revenue out of each head of cattle. That means meat cutting to get the most of the more expensive cuts, selling everything but the moo to somebody, and throwing away as little as possible. An extra dollar a carcass isn’t much, but adds up when they’re processing over 1000 head a day.

Well, I love liver, but I’ll only eat it from animals I’ve raised myself. The liver collects and stores a plethora of bad things that the animal has eaten including additives to their food. Liver and brains are quite fatty. And it’s unwise to eat brains because of the potential for prions or for being a zombie candidate. Tongue is good. It can be boiled, sliced, and used like lunch meat. In the Asian markets, I’ve seen uteri for sale but never tried it. Testicles are actually good and where I came from were fried and called “Rocky Mountain oysters.”

Deep-fried insects can be good, but I do have a tough time with the cultural indoctrination I have as a born American.

Apparently, some of them can be quite tasty:“…dry-toasted cricket tastes like sunflower seeds; katydid like toasted avocado; palm grub like bacon soup with a chewy, sweet finish. Weaver ant pupae have practically no flavor, while the meat of the giant water bug is, astonishingly, like a salty, fruity, flowery Jolly Rancher. People are usually amazed by it.”
source:http://www.insectsarefood.com/iaf.php?title=what-do-insects-taste-like&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

The difference with eating crustaceans is that there are substantial portions of meat inside the shell. In other words, they are big!

With bugs, unless they are giant scarab beetles, the meat is too scarce on a per bug basis. So they will need to be processed and amalgamated into patties of some sort. This runs contrary to the current trend of avoiding processed food.

Now bug snacks are a real possibility. Since you have to process the meat anyway, you might as well load it with sugar, salt, and preservatives.

Another major difference with crustaceans, is that their meat is sectioned off into the tail, away from the “gross” vital organs. With bugs, I think it’s more like mammals where the meat is distributed throughout the body. That is where the gross factor is compounded, peeling bugs and getting the meat away from the organs.

On an intellectual level, I see the merits and I’m all for it. I love shrimp, crawfish, lobster, soft-shell crabs… What’s the difference? But if you put bugs on a plate in front of me (even disguised inside other food) the cultural taboo is strong enough to raise a visceral negative reaction.

So I’ll just put on my hypocrite hat and say, “It’s a great idea, everybody else should try ‘em, I’m going to Whataburger.”

I thought that getting pink slime out of hamburger was a good trend but is sounds like it will be replaced by even less tasty options. Imagine though the possibilities it opens up for all of the cooking shows and segments that permeate TV content. And with the growing percentage of the American population being foreign born the phase “grandma’s recipe” will take on new meaning. Also the hot new major in higher education…Entomology.